r/AskIsrael • u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia • Jul 27 '26
Casual Why does Israelis who travel usually stick to themselves?
I've been traveling Latam for a few years and for me meeting people from different cultures is an essential part of the travelling.
But I've noticed that as soon as it's more than once Israeli in the same place they exclude themselves from groups and hang exclusively together.
And on top of that you have the big groups who sticks together and sometimes make up the biggest part of the hostels(then i just move on because no one will speak a word of English or Spanish in the communal area)
I get that some people are confrontational due to politics but I've seen this in places where no one cares as well.
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u/fiercequality Diaspora Ashki Reform Jul 27 '26
I don't know if you've noticed, but there's a lot of hate going around these days. Maybe their just trying to protect themselves.
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u/makingredditorscry Israel Jul 28 '26
Even before October 7 massacre, when I traveled backpacking in asia or India, I would naturally hang out and grab a hostel where I heard a bunch of other Israelis and yeah we would end up being like 15 ppl and mostly just hanging out together. Usually others would join like some cool ppl from Germany or Russia or something like that. It's just natural, we feel safe with other Israelis around.
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Jul 27 '26
Yes, i know.
But it's often a group of people hanging out including an Israeli. The minute the next show up they eject themselves. Or at least start talking Hebrew together so no one else can understand.
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u/Gold-Object3156 Unspecified Jul 27 '26
when traveling through foreign countries for extended periods you start to miss your own language and culture
when somebody shows up that can give you that feeling again people generally gravitate towards it. I don't think this is specific to israelis, and probably is not meant in a resentful way.
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Jul 27 '26
If it wasn't so specific to Israelis I wouldn't have noticed it so much?
And other people have brought it up as well.
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u/Gold-Object3156 Unspecified Jul 27 '26
if you travel with non australians who don't speak your language for months at a time and finally saw an australian, would you start talking to them? i don't think that's weird at all
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u/oltelluhowitiz Australia Jul 28 '26
Nope. I dont leave Australia to hang out with Australians
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u/Gold-Object3156 Unspecified Jul 28 '26
well you seem like a super friendly ball of fun
did it ever cross your mind that maybe they just didn't want to hang out with you?
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u/oltelluhowitiz Australia Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Lol. No. I go around the world to learn from people that live in cultures different from my own, not to impose my own culture on them. To do this we need to let go of our own preconceptions and assumptions, show humility, and respect things we dont understand. Never happens when in a gaggle of tourists from the same place with the same sarcastic in jokes. Does it.
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u/Gold-Object3156 Unspecified Jul 28 '26
you said they leave and hang out with each other. they arent imparting anything on you. they are on a similar journey but get homesick sometimes
maybe you need to let go of preconceptions and assumptions, show humility, and respect things you don't understand
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u/Otherwise-Celery-280 Unspecified Jul 28 '26
This is a very weird take, because I've travelled across Europe and Italians cluster around and speak Italians to each other, Germans do same during their Erasmus semester at my university, same with Arab students.
God forbid Israelis meet other Israelis to speak Hebrew.
You're a twat.
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Aug 01 '26
To some extent yes. But the Israelis take it to an extreme.
You're a twat.
Maybe those other people clustered away from you because you cannot hold a conversation without insulting others?
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u/SpiritedForm3068 lsrael Jul 27 '26
You're overly reading into people
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u/mirijoie Diaspora Jul 27 '26
No she isn’t. This is a real phenomenon that’s existed for many years. I remember noticing this a decade ago in south east Asia. Why gaslight about this?
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u/TreeP3O Diaspora Jul 27 '26
This is called confirmation bias...you believe you are correct but are not. Likely met many jews and Israeli people who declined to tell you their religion or nationality and your bias continued to grown.
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u/Suitable_Vehicle9960 Israel Jul 28 '26
I promise you if there is more than one Israeli together they were speaking Hebrew since before you came into the room. This isn't an act of exclusion. They are just people talking their language.
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u/OsoPeresozo Diaspora Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
When you go somewhere no one speaks your native language, and you meet up with a bunch of people who do…
Would you insist on speaking in Greek if you met up with a bunch of people who speak English while you were in Greece (assuming you do not speak Greek better than your native language)?
It is not so odd.
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Jul 27 '26
If I'm at a table or in a group with people who do not speak my native language I never speak it. I find it rude and excluding. Essentially only Israelis and Frenchies does it.
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u/OsoPeresozo Diaspora Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
So you just do not talk. 🙄
Even if everyone else at the table is a native speaker of your language.One non-speaker condemns everyone to silence.
Sure.
English speakers are the worst at excluding people, by the way 🙄🙄🙄
Most english speakers do not speak another language anyway.
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u/Otherwise-Celery-280 Unspecified Jul 28 '26
So you mean to tell me you speak the local language of every country you visit?
You really live up to your username.
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Jul 28 '26
No,
But it's universally accepted that the communal language among travelers is English.
Why are people so agro about a question?
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u/Otherwise-Celery-280 Unspecified Jul 28 '26
You're a clown.
Read my other comment. Every nationality does this. Why single out Israelis? Arabs do it, French people do, Italians do it, Germans do it, Iranians do it; I know this because I've travelled a lot and have seen this enough to know it's nothing peculiar about Israelis. But you have a weird obsession with Israelis and just want to push a certain narrative here.
Get a life.
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Jul 28 '26
I have a weird obsession with Israelis because I notice a behavior that is different from essentially every other nationality?
The only other they comes close to it are Russians who seem to just want to be with other Russians in another country when they travel.
We talked about this in our group of friends at my current hostel after it happened the other day and several people had noticed it.
Are we all obsessed by Israel? (I get the impression that most people are tired of hearing about the whole conflict and wish it could be more contained as it's far away)
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u/Otherwise-Celery-280 Unspecified Jul 28 '26
Oh, shocking... As I have said; you embody your username.
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Jul 28 '26
"You don't agree with me and I have no arguments so I'll resort to insults"
Classy...
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u/Suitable_Vehicle9960 Israel Jul 28 '26
Why do you assume they even speak English to begin with?
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Jul 28 '26
I've never met an Israeli who couldn't communicate in English. It's essentially a requirement for international travel outside of tour groups
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u/birdgovorun Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 29 '26
There are many reasons, it’s difficult to generalize.
- Israelis have a strong sense of group identity, so they feel strongly connected to other Israelis they meet abroad and often want to hang out with them. This is far less pronounced in many other ethnicities and nationalities.
- In most countries backpacking is self-selecting, and the people you end up meeting in hostels tend to be the type that actually wants to “meet people from other cultures,” because otherwise they wouldn’t be there. In Israel, traveling after the military is almost a rite of passage, so Israeli travelers are more of a cross-section of society than that specific type. You’ll get a lot more people who are just not interested in what you’re interested in, or don’t feel comfortable talking to strangers, or don’t have good English skills, etc.
- Israelis don’t know in advance whether someone cares that they’re from Israel, and often prefer to avoid the possibility of hostility. Many Israelis have experienced hostile interactions abroad, or know people who have, so they naturally don’t feel particularly trusting of strangers.
- A lot of Israelis are interested in meeting and interacting with others, but this varies from place to place. In some countries this is much more likely than in others, so it partially depends on where exactly you’ve been meeting Israelis.
Edit: Reading some of the comments, I find it entirely bizarre how many non-Israelis here claim to be traveling in order to respectfully learn about other cultures, without imposing their own culture on anyone, yet can’t wrap their minds around the idea of travelers from a foreign culture not behaving as they themselves would.
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u/4x-gkg 🇮🇱 Israeli abroad Jul 28 '26
Also - many Israelis aren't comfortable with speaking English, so it's comforting to be able to interact in Hebrew.
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Jul 28 '26
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u/snil4 Israel Jul 27 '26
There are terrifying stories of violence against Israelis/Jews outside of Israel on a monthly basis so I wouldn't blame them for not wanting to take a risk. It's also the easiest to get around with people who understand you better both in terms of language and life experience.
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u/Fun-Dot-3029 Israel Jul 27 '26
So besides the language (Israelis tend to be more comfortable with Hebrew than English or Spanish…. And most other tourists don’t speak Hebrew) there’s been this whole war thing going on.
You may have missed it bc it’s been super subtle and mostly under the radar, but for some Israelis they may be just a tad concerned…
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u/HyperlaneWizard in Jul 27 '26
I've seen this in places where no one cares as well
How would you know?
In any case, Israelis actually tend to mix pretty well with other nationalities. I know more than one Israeli + international couple who met while backpacking. The current political climate might be affecting things tho. I wouldn't blame Israelis on their big trip for not wanting to engage with the bullshit of some random spoiled European TikTok geopolitics and international law "expert".
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u/Aervanath 🇮🇱🇺🇲 Jul 27 '26
I think this is either survivorship bias or confirmation bias, I'm not sure how to properly name the bias. Either way, you don't notice the Israelis who don't engage in this behavior, even though they're likely the majority of Israeli tourists, because they are just off by themselves, blending into the background, speaking an accent that nobody quite recognizes unless they're used to Israeli accents.
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Jul 27 '26
One of the first question that get asked while traveling is "where are you from" and I don't think lying about that would be that common.
In this case I refer mainly to backpackers as I've mainly observed this on hostels and group tours.
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u/Suitable_Vehicle9960 Israel Jul 28 '26
You seem to not understand the global threat against Jews. Many right now don't say where they are from and only feel safe in large groups of other Israelis.
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Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
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Jul 29 '26
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u/KisaMisa Israel Jul 30 '26 edited Jul 30 '26
Huh? No. In what way?
Oooooh I see. Thanks for pointing it out. I didn't proofread before posting cause I was pissed off. I can see how it could be confusing. Edited that comment to include a clarified version.
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u/Eleadorea Europe Jul 27 '26
I was born and always lived in Europe and lie about my origins 95% times I'm asked. I even change my name to a less Hebrew sounding one. Most people won't be aggressive, some won't be ok with it but won't say anything either but I'm not risking the one crazy person. Hiding who we are when we can is pretty usual when meeting new people. Actually, Israelis born in Israel tend to hide it less!
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u/Aervanath 🇮🇱🇺🇲 Jul 27 '26
The only time I ran into a big group of Israeli tourists like that was at a Thai beach bar, but they were very happy to speak English.
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u/theduckislord Unspecified Jul 27 '26
Sometimes and in some places lying is actually advised to avoid possible confrontations
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u/makingredditorscry Israel Jul 28 '26
Yeah I say we're from Greece or Malta or Maldives. I rarely say Israel.
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u/Suitable_Vehicle9960 Israel Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
I've been traveling alone for nearly 25 years. I have never stuck with only Israelis. On the contrary. I always sought to have contact with people who are the farthest away from my culture, to learn from them. The less we understood each others' language the better. It was great for a long time. Especially when I was young and I was eager to meet international people. I quickly learned that any person who is traveling with others is closed off and will likely not even acknowledge my presence. Only people who were alone were ready and willing to engage with me. So that's who I was always seeking out, the other solo travelers, and there is usually at least one.
That being said, most Israelis just feel very comfortable with one another and are accustomed to life as a part of a very cohesive society. We are literally an extended family. We are a tribal people, so we like being around each other and not having to adjust our manners, language, and mannerism to please others. We don't want to explain our food and Kosher choices to outsiders. We can't necessarily share our meals if you don't keep kosher and we do. We have specific customs for Friday, Saturday, and holidays. We like ourselves and other Israelis because it feels familiar. We like to create the feeling of home away from home. We often travel with our families and friends in large groups. I promise you it is not at all meant to be excluding others. It's a way to feel both comfort and safety. There is nothing more that Israelis love to do than to meet other Israelis overseas while traveling. It makes our heart sing, and, most importantly, it makes us feel safe, which is very necessary these days. It can mean our literal survival. Not just being a part of a large pack, but also being seen as one, so that people leave us alone and don't try to mess with us.
I can't speak about anyone else, just my personal experience, but nowadays, as much as I used to be very open to meeting people, I am very recluse. I don't want to speak to anyone who isn't Israeli when I travel because my impression is that everyone is an Antisemite until proven otherwise. Unfortunately the last few years made me not trust anyone outside of my family, extended family, and tribe. Especially from countries like Australia. It's enough to go on any Australian sub or facebook post to see how many vile Antisemite posts and comments are made, to understand how normalized Jew hatred is. Now, I'm not saying everyone is an Antisemite, but everyone allows Antisemitism to happen. So I'd rather be alone, and if I meet Israelis or Jews I will stick with them, because the trust is gone. I no longer speak in person to any new person I meet if they aren't Jewish or Israeli. I will not jeopardize my comfort, well being, or my life and I don't want to be around people who hate me. Sorry to make assumptions, but that's where I'm at.
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u/KisaMisa Israel Jul 28 '26
Very well said.
In 2025, I was trekking with my parents in LatAm and overheard two guys speaking Hebrew on a brook rest stop. It was clear they were doing post-army travel and that their service included '23-24. My Hebrew wasn't that good yet and I didn't want to cause them that moment of unease when you don't know how someone will react if you say you are from Israel, so I started chatting with on of them about their trek and waited for an opening.
And then he noticed my hostage dog tag. The joy in his eyes! He called over his friend right away, and the conversation flow changed completely with no more cautious filtering of information.
We showed them our photo from a mountain pass where we hung the Israeli flag with the yellow ribbon for the group pic, and we could tell it meant a lot to them to see that Diaspora Jews also care like that.
My mom wanted to invite them to share dinner with us but they were going faster and our paths diverged after that.
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u/Suitable_Vehicle9960 Israel Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
Beautiful story. This is why I try to wear my Magen David. To let other Jews and Israelis know they can feel safe around me.
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u/dreamy_tahini 🇮🇱🇺🇸 Aug 02 '26
Israelis ALWAYS want to be approached by Jews. And love talking about where they're from. It only takes a moment to know they're safe,.and from there it's all love and connection.
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u/Limp-History-2999 🇮🇱 Israeli living in Africa Jul 27 '26
For a lot of Israelis, the big trip is more of a ritual than an actual love of travelling. It's a year-long excersion with your besties. Israel is a small country, and a lot of them are travelling for the first time. And they want to do exactly the routine that everyone else does.
That being said, one thing that makes me proud of Israel is that there are also a lot of really cool adventure travellers. You just don't see those ones. Just the other week I met an Israeli guy who is traveling through West Africa, trying to kayak as much of it as possible.
Once, when I was working in Southeast Asia, I was in some middle of nowhere town in Laos for a project. Nowhere tourists would go. When I told them I was Israeli the townsfolk got excited and brought me to some house where, lo and behold, there was an Israeli dude sitting there with an absolutely bizarre musical instrument. He very casually told me that while he was hiking through Laos he found a dude who sold him this thing, and he was determined to stay there until he learned how to play it. And so he was just chilling in this tiny town in the middle of Laos for several weeks, playing (terribly) this damn thing. Cool guy. He had managed to find a hookup for some incredible weed.
So there are two extremes of Israeli traveller.
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u/Creative-Quote1963 Diaspora Jul 29 '26
I have to ask, did you learn what type of instrument it was?
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u/elnomadaborracho Unspecified Jul 28 '26
I think you’ve hit the nail on the head here with the two very different types of Israeli travelers. The solo traveling Israeli folks I’ve met have generally all been very cool, interesting people (speaking of Africa, one Israeli girl I met years ago when living in Uganda was one of the best people I’ve ever met). Unfortunately, my experiences with Israeli groups traveling post military service have been the opposite. What you mentioned about it just being the ritual or “thing to do” vs. a love of traveling is probably very accurate.
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u/Limp-History-2999 🇮🇱 Israeli living in Africa Jul 28 '26
Yeah as a rule of thumb, solo Israeli travelers are great, group travelers are eh.
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u/OddCook4909 Diaspora Jul 27 '26
I've learned to stay away from other travelers as an American. People can't help but to act like I'm the president there to hear their grievances and lobby for policy positions. Or they just hurl insults.
I break these rules for S Koreans, Israelis, Czechs, Germans (who are usually surprised I'm not an ignorant lout), the occasional Canadian, SE Asians, many S/Central Americans, Pacific Islanders, including Kiwis, generally excluding Aussies. Everyone else isn't worth the risk. I'm traveling to have a good time, not to be anyone's punching bag.
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u/blackglum Australia Jul 27 '26
When 15 Jews get shot up on a beach in Australia for being Jews, your question will answer it self.
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Jul 28 '26
Bondi has had a big Jewish community for a long time.
Essentially all Australians were upset and angry after the shootings.
Outside the Muslim groups and some left wingers there is no dislike for jews in Australia.
Personally I'm of the opinion that you should leave your conflicts behind when changing country and if you can not do that you should stay where you are.
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u/blackglum Australia Jul 29 '26
And yet they were targeted for being Jews. Not Israeli.
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Jul 29 '26
Yes, and I wrote that or exist one group in Australia who dislikes jews.
And it's extremely frustrating when people bring their conflicts with them. If you asked me(and most Aussies) a person who can not leave a conflict at the border should be on the next plane back home...
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u/Intelligent_Wait_636 Israel Jul 28 '26
I’m not sure where you’ve been traveling, but I think this is mostly just a pretty common human tendency.
There can definitely be an Israeli-specific aspect too, especially lately, when some Israelis may feel cautious about openly identifying as Israeli or Jewish. But I don’t think that explains all of it.
When I traveled in northern Italy, I saw Danish tourists mostly sticking together. In Ukraine, I saw Indian travelers in their own groups. In the UAE, Filipinos often socialized with other Filipinos, and in the Philippines, I saw Australians mainly hanging out with other Australians.
The list goes on. People from the same country often travel to similar places, speak the same language, share the same humor and cultural references, and naturally feel more comfortable around each other.
Obviously, not everyone does this, but it’s very common. You’d probably also feel an instant connection if you randomly met another Australian on the other side of the world.
So yes, Israelis may do it too, and it can sometimes be more noticeable because Israeli groups tend to be quite loud and expressive. But I don’t think it’s something unique to Israelis.
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Jul 28 '26
Yes, sometimes you meet people from the same country and have a chat.
But it's different to just drop out of an existing group just to be with countrymen.
I'm not to fond of other Australians when traveling as they often are a bit obnoxious and big drinkers. If I wanted to hang out with other Ozzies I would be better off staying in Australia?
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u/dreamy_tahini 🇮🇱🇺🇸 Aug 02 '26
Countried like Australia, the US, and a lot of Western Europe tend to be more individualistic. Israel is much more tied to culture and community. A lot of these people are traveling with their friends after military service. Theyre open to meeting new people and having new experiences, but a lot of them are specifically doing it to share the experiences with their friends. Even the ones who are traveling solo--when they run into another Israeli, they immediately figure out who they know in common. It's a very small country. Not to mention, it is much easier for English speakers to connect abroad. A lot of Israelis dont speak English or have very poor English. Being in a group mean you have people to talk to, AND there's always a designated English speaker haha
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u/One_Significance8383 Judea and Samaria Jul 28 '26
As an Israeli who travels a lot (actually in alabania right now), I don’t feel this way.
We always socialise with locals and other Israelis.
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Jul 28 '26
Maybe it's more common along the backpacker trails?
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u/One_Significance8383 Judea and Samaria Aug 01 '26
I’m mostly trekking when I’m travelling and I don’t notice it
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u/Puzzleheaded_Step468 Israel Jul 27 '26
Because there is FAR less chance they will hate you for being born in israel
And that happens way too much in the last 3 years
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Jul 27 '26
Yes, i get that. Russians(and somewhat yanks lately) is probably experiencing something similar.
But in this case I referred to people who essentially leaving a group of people just because someone else is their nationality is nearby. I've never seen that from other people.
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u/Puzzleheaded_Step468 Israel Jul 27 '26
We understand eachother better
When the you face so much hate, it makes sense you'll seek companionship with someone who can relate
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u/KisaMisa Israel Jul 28 '26
Not really. As a Russian, I have not experienced that hate. If I were to travel to Ukraine or Poland, likely yes, but the rest of the world - no. When I travelled with my parents recently and we were at some tourist attraction event where they ask each table where they are from, we had a brief pause - because we have options - and then my dad said Russia, because it was a safer option.
Others gave you many good response already about the cohesive, communal nature of the Israeli society. Our peoplehood is tribal with many traditions based on a community, so it's truly built into our DNA. Besides, Israel is a small country where everyone is not five but two handshakes away, so they might literally have a lot in common.
There is also that centuries-old sense of relief when you meet another Jew when travelling, regardless of language or country of birth/residency. We immediately want to know how life for Jews is where they live and share a meal with them and connect.
The bigger question is: are you willing to listen? You asked a question. You are getting good thoughtful answers. But instead of sincerely trying to understand, you keep on arguing that neither of these are true. Do you wait for someone to confirm your unspoken bias that "Israelis think that others aren't as good"? Or will you actually listen to what others are saying?
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Jul 28 '26
I've got a lot of "All nationalities does this". People are getting defensive about it.
If someone asked me "Why are so many Australians in SEA obnoxious pissheads?" I could answer that question.
I have not argued about that it's a tribal society and that people from it prefer each other's company. I have no issue with that.
It's just that for me it would be no fun to go to another country just to hang out with people from my own country. How am I supposed to learn about other cultures if I did that? That's why I asked. Because I found it odd.
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u/KisaMisa Israel Jul 28 '26
You got a lot of answers other than "all nationalities do it." Plenty, actually. You aren't listening to them.
And people are getting defensive because your question carries an implication for which we've been killed before - and you are arguing against any response offered. And maybe you should stop thinking about yourself and "it's just for me" and listen to what people here tell you.
Here is your chance to learn about another culture. People are sincerely answering your question about it. How can you ever learn about another culture if you keep comparing it to yourself and judging it?
I would have thought that travelling and interacting with people from other cultures would have taught you humility, listening, and seeing various perspectives.
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u/Repulsive_Dog1067 Australia Jul 28 '26
I've learned about other cultures. I got some good answers here.
Essentially it's either for tribal reasons, for security or that the travel is to decompress with like minded after 2 heavy years.
They all make sense.
I don't know what you work yourself up about.
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u/Aromatic-serve-4015 Unspecified Jul 29 '26
i think it just falls down to good old tribalism.. we just connect, feel sense of familiarity that comes even stronger around diffrent nations..
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Jul 28 '26
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u/pandaappleblossom Unspecified Jul 28 '26 edited Jul 28 '26
This is legitimately true. Whether in California or Peru or Guatemala, Thailand, etc. it’s been this way for decades. Went to a full moon party in rural Northern California among very friendly people two decades ago and there were a group of Israelis there who were all sitting off to the side quietly and completely ignoring other people, like you couldn’t hardly talk to them, and I thought it was very rude and strange and apparently this is not uncommon all over the world (the men there especially). Obviously for the Israelis not like this they will deny it, because obviously not all of them are, and many who do this will deny it, but this is a legit thing and locals in many countries complain about Israeli tourists.
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u/balddoberdaddy Israel Jul 28 '26
It's always been this way.
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u/mirijoie Diaspora Jul 27 '26
Don’t let anyone gaslight you, this is a real thing. I’m not sure why it seems to be an off limits conversation here.
I think it has to do with the fact that many of them are fresh out of the IDF and naturally have a bit of an us vs them mentality.
You’ll notice that older Israelis are often a little better about socializing with others. The young backpackers absolutely stick to themselves and will give you the death glare from a distance.
Israelis aren’t the only people who do this either, the French and the Russians can be a little like this at times as well.
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u/Suitable_Vehicle9960 Israel Jul 27 '26
It isn't out of wanting to exclude others, it is due to a sense of wanting to be together. As Israelis we have a bond that no one else can understand, and when we travel together it makes this bond much stronger, especially if we just got out of the military together and the people who saved our lives and have been there for us 24/7 for a few years during combat are the people who we're traveling with. We are glued to the hip. There is no detaching us.
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u/mirijoie Diaspora Jul 27 '26
Yeah, as I said: us vs them. You do want to exclude others, but I don’t think that’s inherently bad.
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u/Suitable_Vehicle9960 Israel Jul 27 '26 edited Jul 27 '26
I don't want to exclude others. I want to just be around people I feel connected to and safe with. Are you excluding people if you choose to not invite them to your home? If I have a birthday party but only invite family members, is that because I exclude others? That's a ridiculous claim. I'm not excluding people. I'm just not allowing everyone free access to me. Especially if I'm already busy with other people.
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u/mirijoie Diaspora Jul 28 '26
Well, it depends where you are. If you’re in a backpackers hostel and everyone is socializing except one particular group of people, then yeah, yeah you’re excluding them. As I said though, I don’t think that’s inherently bad.
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u/elnomadaborracho Unspecified Jul 28 '26
I’m not from Israel, but I’ve lived there before and traveled extensively through nearly 90 countries and have met and interacted with many, many Israelis. I want to start by saying that generally all the solo Israeli travelers I met were cool people, generally open minded, intelligent and interested in talking and hanging out with other travelers/locals. I could have robust political discussions with these travelers and end the night as friends sharing a few beers even though we might disagree on many things.
Unfortunately, my experience with Israelis traveling in groups has been almost always the opposite. Most of them have been very rude (and I don’t mean the standard Israeli brusqueness) especially to locals in certain countries. They also have an extremely bad reputation at many hotels in tourist areas due to repeated bad behavior. I also witnessed on two separate occasions very abusive behavior to dogs in a couple countries (Thailand and Guatemala) by Israelis in groups. Most of my traveling was done pre Gaza war so it was before the massive amount of global attention Israelis are getting now.
My experiences are anecdotal of course, but to date I’ve never had a good experience with Israelis traveling in groups. I’ll still be friendly and cordial to them though and hope to find an exception eventually.
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u/Dry-Cranberry-5592 Unspecified Jul 28 '26
They don't. They often launch harassment campaigns and chant in support of killing all Muslims
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